A Message from Dr. Rudy Rozanski, President, BJCA
Dear Members of Burquest,
As you know, on December 23 we lost a long-standing member of our Community,
Mary-Lynn Schlifer.
I knew Mary-Lynn for nearly 20 years. She was always a helpful and involved member of our community, engaging enthusiastically in ritual and social activities. Mary-Lynn added immensely to the camaraderie and richness of every event, and as soon as she entered our building she would invariably begin helping in some way. In the last years she served on the board in order to help steer her beloved Burquest community towards ever more rich social offerings and spiritual experiences. Her last gift to our community was the building of a Sukkah and celebration of Sukkot, despite her poor health; that emotional event was a testament to her generous and pious spirit. Mary-Lynn was kind and accepting, on the one hand staunchly traditional, on the other realistic and modern. She was gracious and giving, industrious and independent. Her inner life was focused on the spiritual, though she experienced many adventures and travels. More than anything she loved her family and friends, and always had faith that they would return that love. Mary-Lynn was a skilled teacher, and perhaps her greatest lesson was how to pass on that silent and deep faith and love. I would like Mary-Lynn to speak to you all in her own words. I quote from a letter she wrote to me in 2020. “There are times I find myself in deep water sometimes from helping others and sometimes when dealing with my own issues. I muddle through the days and try to be cheerful as best as I can. I say prayers and Hashem gets me to where I need to be. Hashem constantly challenges us to examine our lives from different perspectives and this time of COVID has pushed us into more reflection whether we want it or not. It doesn't mean we can’t get frustrated when things don't go our way. When we trust the process, we slow down and begin to see the positive aspects of the world created for us, with all its beauty.”
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